Joy from Brazil at the Contact

RIO de Janeiro is not all beaches and beauties. The Brazilian capital is also home to some of the world's most violent ghettos. From these crime-ridden slums has emerged AfroReggae, fighting back with music and culture. They are in the city this weekend.

ANDERSON Se is a former drug trafficker from Rio de Janeiro's once most-feared ghetto, Vigario Geral. His city, Rio de Janeiro, is fighting a drugs war and he has seen all sides of it.

A simple statistic highlights the level of devastation wreaked by drug and gun crime in the region. Between 1948 and 1999, an estimated 13,000 people were killed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Between 1979 and 2000, Rio witnessed more than 48,000 firearm related deaths, many of the victims minors.

Most of the youngsters involved in the drugs trade in these ghettos - or favelas - will not live to see their 20th birthday.

Anderson was on his way to becoming another statistic when, one summer's day in 1993, police marched into Vigario Geral and gunned down 21 innocent residents. It was the shock Anderson needed to rethink his life choices.

He says: "One per cent of the favela population are bandits, 99 per cent are hard-working decent people."

Dance workshops

It was soon afterwards that AfroReggae was formed. The movement began as music and dance workshops, which were used as an escape route out of the drug trade for the local kids.

Thirteen years on, it has drastically reduced the number of Brazilian children trading drugs and has produced an internationally-acclaimed hip hop band, which comes to Manchester this week as part of a global tour, kicked off on Copacabana beach as support to The Rolling Stones.

"Our message is one of social transformation through working with young people and helping them understand that culture can be used to transform their lives and unblock the vision that they have of criminality and drugs," Anderson explains.

"Our success is due to the determination, energy and goodwill of the people involved and the belief that it is possible to change.

"It's important to show the world a social project that has been going for many years and that is working well. It is important to show how it works.

"Before AfroReggae, the favela community, in particular Vigerio Geral, was known only for violence. Now it is covered in cultural pages of newspapers and in the media for the social work that is going on, and is used as a reference for the rest of the city.

"Now the community has a sense of self-esteem and pride because it is known for something positive rather than violence."

Anderson will welcome anyone to his group, but he is firm in what he believes. In his workshops, he allows no smoking, drink or drugs.

AfroReggae seeks to show how the stand of one person can inspire a whole community. And for that, Anderson can thank his mum.

In Rio, Anderson's mother runs a small café. She refused to serve the known drug lords and, after making a stand, other shop owners found the strength to do the same.

Backlash

Anderson claims he has never been afraid of a backlash and, bizarrely, AfroReggae has even earned respect from the drug lords it speaks out against. "I've not really been afraid," he adds. "Some of these people are childhood friends, others we have come to know over the years. It is crucial to have a dialogue with these people, otherwise we would not be able to mediate in conflicts between rival gangs. It's fundamental to our work.

"Today, we are making more and more interchanges with other groups and have seen the beginning of new initiatives in Brazil which have been influenced by our work. We are getting better known internationally and people are now writing theses and doing research on our work and looking at our methodology."

Anderson's story - and AfroReggae's success - is now the subject of a documentary, Favela Rising, directed by Jeff Zimbalist and Matt Mochary. Members hope it will bring their message worldwide.

Brazil

They are also reaching out by bringing their workshops and live music performances out of Brazil, arriving in Manchester this week.

"The workshops involve percussion, theatre and circus skills, the same as we do in the favelas with young people and with the police," says Anderson. "We apply the same rules, too - definitely no smoking, drink or drugs.

"We get the young people participating as much as possible with as much physical involvement as possible.

"For example, we have only just done some workshops in a school in Hackney, London, and after only two days they put on a performance at The Barbican - that's the level we are taking them to.

"At the gigs you can expect a lot of music and choreography, but more important the people you will see on stage would be in gangs now if they were not in AfroReggae. AfroReggae has changed their lives."

AfroReggae are running music workshops and are performing at The Contact Theatre, Manchester, this Friday and Saturday (March 10 and 11). For details, call 0161 274 0600.